Replacement of joints, such as knees and hips, with prostheses in human beings has become quite common. A typical hip prosthesis includes a femoral portion or component which is implanted in the femur and an acetabular component which is attached to the pelvis. The femoral component includes a head, which rotates in a socket formed in the acetabular component, and a stem portion which resides in the proximal end of the femur.
To prepare a patient to receive a hip prosthesis, a portion of the proximal end of the femur is first removed. To aid the surgeon in properly aligning the prosthesis, trial prosthetic components are first implanted so that the surgeon can test for the proper alignment and orientation of the prosthesis. Typically, after the trial component is properly positioned, the calcar region of the proximal end of the femur is milled or planed. Once the proper size and fit is evaluated using trial components, the trial components are removed and the actual prosthetic components are implanted.
The milling or planing of the calcar region can be an important step in ensuring a proper fit of the femoral component implant. Due to anatomical variations between individuals and different sizes of prosthetic components, the surgeon must take extreme care in preparing the calcar region so that the prosthetic components are properly aligned and oriented.
In some instances, the trial prosthetic components can interfere with the milling or planing of the calcar region. In fact, the milling or planing can even damage portions of the trial prosthetic components, thereby preventing their re-use.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a surgical system which can properly prepare the proximal end of the femur to receive the femoral component of a hip joint prosthesis for a variety of patients.